Jewelry clasp



Oct. 13, 1925. 1,557,133

I H. BACKERT JEWELRY CLASP Filed April 4, 1923 Tiqul.

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Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

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- :IT ENBY BAQKEET F HILTQN J JEWELRY cLAsP.

Application filed April .4, 1923. Serial No. 629,7'7-7.

- and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, andrexact descriptionof the invention, such. as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertai-ns to make and use'the same, referencebeing had to the ac- .com an in drawin s and to characters of reference marked thereon,-wl1ich form a part of this specification.

This invention relates, generally, .to improvements in ewel-ry iclasps; and, the in vention has reference, more particularly, to a novel construction of safety gclasp for necklaces, bracelets, chains and other -'ar.- ticles.

- This invention'has for its principal object to provide a novel clasp comprising l two separable partsladapted to interlock to-gether but :so constructed. as to avoid complete separation, of the parts should the same become accidentally released from their. normal interlocked relation, ithe invention has for further. objects to provide. a constructionsof claspinecessitating the distortion ofithewcooperating ,members thereof from the normal service relationi when opening theaclasp, and to .simplifyandcheapen the, construction of the'clasp. ,Qthenobjects of this. invention,no-t=at this time nore particularly enumerated, will he clearly understood from thefollowing detailed idescription oflthesame.

L'Iheinvention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying. drawings, in! Which Figure 1 isafront view of a clasp con structed and arranged in accordance with the present invention, showing in conjunction therewith end fragments of a necklace, and the snap member of which is shown in the position assumed thereby when arrested against separation from the clasp-body should the same become accidentally released from its normal and operative interlocked relation to the latter; Figure 2 is a sectional View of the same, the section being taken on line 22 in Figure 4; Figure 3 is a View similar to that shown in Figure 2 but il lustrating the distorted position to which it is necessary to move the snap member before completely separating the same from the clasp-body; and Figure 4 is an edge viewofthe clasp and parts: attached thereto, the partsibeing disposed as in Figure 1.

"Similar characters of reference are employed ,in all of-the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now tosaid drawings,-the claspbody is preferably constructed of a, face plate 9 and a back-plate 10 as seen bestrin F-igures 1 and 2. The face plate and backplate are disposed one ,abovetheother in spaced .apart'relation, the'same vbeing structurally united byshort posts. orstuds 11, 12, 13 and 14,, the studs land 12 serving as structural features. The rear end stud 14 istpermanently engaged by the closed ring 15;,which is secured to one end of the necklace -16. to thereby couple ,the clasp body to said necklacejend. Theistuds '13 serve as lock studs, and are laterally opposed to ,each gtlcllei adjacent to the free ,end ofthe clasp o. y. S QU QdIto thelopposite end ofthe necklace 6 isth 'snapemember of the dean-th same consisting of ,a longitudinally bifurca ted I body 7 comprising ,a ,pair of iresilient p ading ten io s- 8Aun t de th i inner ends, and one of which is provided at its free end with an reyeleted or perforate P rti n 17 to receiv the at e hmen p-feai necklace ,end 16 I Each extension 1',8, is-1: rovided in its. outer dg nt, h O te ndi h eoi t a n ck iT fiu zl k 1. whe d eas d a ne wi h-theil qk tud 13,. by.-t ein e tti0n o the nap member into th la p bedymneag r napie sai lock studs to thereby interlock the snap membe -a d th elespi dy, th i.t .1 ins-t en, d spose in; the spac in l ia th rian pl te fiend h alir at i 2 et i lat e I d iredtl w c e may be. o ted from one of the extensions 18. The tension of the extensions 18 is sutfioient under normal conditions to hold the lock studs fully engaged by the nicks 19. If, however, said nicks 19 should become accidentally disengaged from such normal interlocked relation to the lock studs 13, by reason of a sudden pull or jerk exerted upon the necklace 16 or other cause tending to collapse the extensions 18, the snap member will be pulled outwardly from between the lock studs. Under such conditions it is desirable to arrest the outward movement of the snap member before a complete separation of the same from the clasp-body occurs, and to this and the snap member is provided at its inner extremity with a hook member 20, which is laterally projected or offset from said extremity so as to lie in the path of one of the lock studs 13, and consequently the passage outwardly of said hook member 20, when the snap member is moved longitudinally or directly outward, will be opposed by said lock stud so that said hook member will be engaged thereby, thus arresting further outward movement of the snap member, and thus preventing complete separation of the clasp members whereby the necklace would become loosened or opened, and in all probability lost.

By reference to Figure 2 it will be seen that the material at the thickened neck of the hook member 20, that is at the point of juncture of the latter with the united ends of the extensions 18, prevents the hookmember 20 from shifting laterally sufficient to clear the engaged lock-stud, such lateral shifting being opposed by the opposite lockstud 13.

' \Vhen it is desired-to open the clasp so that the necklace may-be removed, it becomes necessary to swing the snap member and its hook member to the position substantially as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, which it will be observed is in the direction opposite from that of the direct outward longitudinal pull which threatened to separate the clasp members.

WVhen the snap member and its hook member is disposed as shown in Figure 3, it may be moved longitudinally in the direction indicated by the arrow associated therewith, and by such movement may be thereupon disengaged from the arresting lock-stud 13, since the opposite side of p the neck of the hook member is v turned away from and thus freed from the opposition of the opposite lock stud 13, and

consequently the snap-member may be completely separated from engaged or clasped relation to the clasp body.

When in turn it is desired to secure the necklace in service, the hpok-member is first engaged over a lock-stud by inserting its free end into the opening between the studs 13, the snap member being positioned substantially at right angles to the claspbody. When in this position the snap member is swung upwardly into longitudinal alinement with the clasp-body, so that the united extremities of the extensions 18 may be turned inwardly between the lock-studs 13, and thereupon the snap-member may be thrust longitudinally inward to snap the nicks 19 into interlocked engagement with the lockstuds 13, being normally held in such relation by the expansive tension of said extensions 18.

I claim 1. A jewelry clasp comprising a box-like body portion having an entrance end flanked by stud-like members; a snap member having an elongated V-shaped resilient body provided with nicks formed thereon for interlocking with said stud-like members; and a laterally oit-set hook formed at the smaller end of said snap-member, the base of said hook approximating in width the space between said stud-like members and progressively diminishing to the end of said hook with the inner curvature of the latter tangent to the adjacent outer side of said V-shaped body so that the hook may be disengaged from the stud-like member by rocking the snap-member about the engaged stud-like member. 4

2. A jewelry clasp comprising a box-like body portion having an entrance end flanked by studlike members; a V-shaped snap body having divergent resilient arms provided with nicks at their outer sides adjacent their free ends for interlocking with said stud-like members; the apex of said V- shaped snap body being turned laterally and its free end forwardly directed to provide a short axially off-set hook, the outer curve of which is tangent to the outer side edge of one resilient arm, and the inner curve of which is tangent to the outer side edge of the other resilient arm.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of March, 1923.

HENRY BACKERT. 

